About Guns And Rallies
by Big Dog on Aug 23, 2009 at 19:17 Political
There have been several incidents of people with weapons being present at rallies or town hall type events. I have heard no reports that these people were breaking the law. A man in New Hampshire carried a sidearm to a rally and followed the established rule; he had to stay 1000 feet away from the building where Obama was speaking. The local police spoke to him and told him how far away he had to stay and to top it off, he was on private property and had permission to be there. In other words, he was breaking no laws. He was simply carrying his sidearm just as he does any other day.
Several other rallies have featured people carry slung rifles. These people were obeying the law and were evidently legally allowed to carry their arms. The media have gone nuts over this and MSNBC cropped a picture of a man carrying a rifle and then injected race into the debate. Black man in the White House, nuts carrying guns. The inference was that it was some racist white guy.
The photo that was cropped was of a BLACK man carrying a weapon. He was exercising his Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms.
The problem is, the people who are opposed to guns automatically assume that anyone carrying one is looking for trouble. The man in New Hampshire said that no one around him was troubled by his gun because people in that area are accustomed to seeing people carry weapons. He indicated that the folks bused in from Massachusetts were the ones who had a problem (and of course, the media).
I agree with him. People who are supporters of the Second Amendment have no problem seeing people carrying a weapon. I have no problems seeing people carry weapons. If any of these people had intended harm it is unlikely that they would draw attention to themselves by openly carrying a weapon. They were simply exercising their rights and that is something everyone should be comfortable with.
Anyone who sees a problem falls into the category of people who assume that a person with a weapon is intent on causing trouble. I see this as no different than the people who attend rallies and exercise their Constitutionally protected right to free speech.
The funny thing is that people who really used weapons to intimidate voters were given a free pass by the Obama Justice Department. Black Panther thugs in Philadelphia brandished weapons and intimidated voters. The slam dunk case was dropped by the Justice Department. Interestingly, Black Panthers showed up at the Republican National Convention in Houston with rifles in order to put on a show of force. Paul Begala celebrated them showing up with weapons.
Ken Shepherd at Newsbusters reminded us that 9 years ago during the Texas Republican Party Convention in Houston, TX, a dozen New Black Panther members showed up with rifles and putting on a show of force. Interestingly, Paul Begala celebrated the New Black Panthers’ showing up with weapons. Also, Kyle Drennen highlighted MSNBC’s Contessa Brewer lumping all gun-toting protesters together as white racists, even the black ones. Of note, one guest on Contessa’s show mentioned that there’s “anger about a black person being president,” but failed to mention that every assassination or attempted assassination of a U.S. president was carried out by a Leftist. Red Sounding
As long as they were legally carrying and were not trying to intimidate people then they were exercising their rights (though the show of force and their anger over a Bush decision might be viewed as intimidation). Besides, I doubt they would have had much success causing trouble. A lot of people in Texas carry weapons and the dozen Black Panthers would have been easily outgunned.
Where were these self righteous media types on these issues? Does anyone remember them making a big stink about thugs threatening people with batons? Did they devote any air time to discussing the hatred and impropriety of the acts of these thugs who were actually breaking the law? Where were they when Black Panthers were carrying rifles?
The Second Amendment is designed to keep the power with the people. Our right to keep and bear arms keeps us from being the victims of a tyrannical government.
It is also helpful when confronted by thugs at polling places wielding batons and communicating threats.
Other sources:
NewsBusters
MSNBC Cropped Video of black man with weapon. They clearly identify him as a white man.
ABC 15 News Video that shows the entire man. He is black.
Zomblog Shows the many signs advocating the death of Bush. Another example of media bias.
[tip]If you enjoy what you read consider signing up to receive email notification of new posts. There are several options in the sidebar and I am sure you can find one that suits you. If you prefer, consider adding this site to your favorite feed reader. If you receive emails and wish to stop them follow the instructions included in the email.[/tip]
Tags: constitutional rights, gun control, media bias, Obama, Second Amendment
It’s amazing isn’t it? These folks carry guns to political events, breaking no laws, and only the news media goes nuts. I think that is much better than in very recent years where folks wore t-shirts bearing anti-war messages at political events, breaking no laws, and they were arrested for doing so.
I have been to a lot of rallies (pro troop of course) and I have never seen anyone arrested for the shirt they wore. I saw people with nasty shirts get arrested for breaking the law like fighting, trespassing, throwing things and such.
Not saying it has not happened, just saying I have not seen it. Of course, the people I go to rallies with don’t get arrested for breaking the law and we clean up after ourselves.
Zealotry goes both ways, but carrying a weapon is legal in many places- it SHOULD be legal everywhere.
I will bet you that people’s manners would improve, or we surely would need no “death panels” or “Death Books” to cull the unfit from our ranks.
I have a concealed carry license, and I use it, because when I step out my door, I like to take ALL my rights with me.
Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.
Yep. We had many carrying at our town hall meeting in Prescott Arizona. So what? Even our representative that was there was not alarmed or intimidated by it. There were no threats or problems-not even any shouting to speak of. Guns don’t harm any one. People whining and crying because of them do.
Most of those openly carrying at these rallies would pull their guns to protect the president if necessary- we know our rights and how to protect them.
Its the weasels you have to watch out for.
I will bet most of the Secret Service, while they check out all people are not nearly as worried about those who are carrying where they can see- its the ones who carry secretly that they have worries about.
Conservative knee jerk response to the media’s reporting on the guns stuff is to remind everybody that it was legal. I don’t think that is the issue.
For me it’s like burning a flag in protest. Flag burning is constitutionally protected as well but the question is still why are you doing it and what message are you trying to send in doing so?
You may think you are making some bold statement but really you’re just going to get labeled a kook and get bad publicity so the logic behind it is always in question.
I wonder if Blake takes the flag burning right with him as well when he steps out the door…
There is no flag burning right. There is a right to free speech which has included flag burning. I am sure Blake takes his right to free speech when he goes out.
The problem is not with the people who are carrying the weapon, it is with the people who label them kooks. Why should someone who carries a weapon every day put it away when attending a rally? You assume they have a bad motive or they are trying to send a message. Why can’t they just be carrying a weapon?
Did you label those Black Panthers kooks? Seems to me that you and the libs were silent about those with the baton and some on the left praised those carrying guns.
I do not like flag burning- I recognize that that is a rather in-your-face alleged free speech, but I can put up with that as long as it is not on my property. Your rights end at my property line- if you do not like that, you are free to leave, or free to leave feet first.
Right, I’m sure the guy packing heat and carrying a sign about watering the tree of liberty was not making any statement whatsoever, just didn’t think to take off that gun he carries every day when he attended the rally. Maybe he has a orchard, right? I mean, Jefferson wasn’t referring to the armed overthrow of tyrannical governments anyway, but rather just giving advice on how to take care of some liberty trees, right?
If a dirty hippy showed up burning a flag and he was somehow doing it so that it wasn’t breaking any laws I’m sure you would be the first ones to show your outrage at the judgment on this person and say: “You assume they had a bad motive or they are trying to send a message. Why can’t they just be burning a flag?”
Look, how far can you stretch reality before it snaps back and smacks you in your little conservative faces? This guy was a kook, pure and simple and don’t for one second pretend that this guy wasn’t making a statement.
So he was threatening because of his sign and what it said? Did you look at the link of all those anti Bush signs? Were these people kooks making a statement?
If he had never worn his weapon and just put it on for the event then maybe you would be on to something but he wears it everywhere he goes (where it is allowed).
If he wanted to water the tree it is doubtful he would have advertised it or showed the weapon. You just assume he was up to no good.
I have seen people burn flags and I do not like it but unless the law changes they are free to do it. As Blake says, not on my property…
Adam won’t answer your questions about the anti- Bush signs even though many were much more foul than ANYTHING he has seen about his Mess-iah.
Adam, however, is intellectually dishonest about rights- it’s ok for the left to go after Bush with no limits, but now that a “black” man be in da house (actually he’s more “latte” ), we are supposed to be silent or have better manners than the left did. Truth is, we DO have better manners than the left.
They throw poo like monkeys- we engage in civil discourse.
I don’t know if I’d call him threatening and my point has very little to do with when he carries his gun. I just think it’s funny that you would try to argue a guy carrying a sign isn’t making a statement. Plus he has a sign hinting at violent revolution and he was carrying a gun with him. But you know, it’s just not clear what if any statement he was trying to make…no.
The statement he had on his sign was just a statement by Thomas Jefferson-it’s a fairly innocuous statement unless you think Hussein is a tyrant.
The fact that the sign may be true is also pertinent- are we there yet?
The sign did not hint at violent revolution, you are implying that- the quote was just one that Jefferson said.